Legislation & Documents - Strategic Planning
STRATEGIC PLANNING SESSION
19 - 20 February 2004
BACKGROUND
Constitution of the Republic of South Africa designates local
government as being as ‘sphere’ in its own right with
original powers and a broad developmental mandate.
Local Government is required to make a paradigm shift from simply
being a regulator of by-laws and provider of
services towards the incorporation of social and economic
development.
The Constitution states the following as the mandate of a
developmental local government:
- To provide democratic and accountable government for local
communities;
- To ensure the provision of services to communities in a
sustainable manner;
- To promote social and economic development;
- To promote a safe and healthy environment; and
- To encourage the involvement of communities and community
organisations in matters of local government
The strategic challenges posed by this constitutional provisions
is for local government to make a shift from an
emphasis on service delivery towards assessing the impact of service
delivery outputs on the quality of life of
communities.
In order words service delivery outputs should no longer be
assessed on purely functional basis but should be
evaluated on how they collectively combine to result in a desirable
set of developmental outcomes.
To assist local government to cope with these challenges of a
developmental local government the legislative
framework provides for the transformation of local government
structures and systems.
MUNICIPAL STRUCTURES
In terms of the Constitution and the Municipal Structures the
provisions the Greater Sekhukhune District Municipality designated
as a Category C (Municipality A municipality that has municipal
executive and legislative authority in an area that includes more
than one municipality).
The District has five Category B (a municipality that shares
municipal executive and legislative authority in its area with a
category C municipality within whose area it falls) municipalities
under its jurisdiction.
Category B Municipalities:
- Greater Groblersdal
- Greater Tubatse
- Greater Marble Hall
- Makhuduthamaga
- Fetakgomo
Within the provisions of the Municipal Structures Act, the
Municipality has been established as an executive mayoral system.
District Council is comprised of 42 councilors of which 25 are
nominated by Local Municipalities and 17 are from party proportional
representation
The representation in terms of the 25 nominated councilors is as
follows:
| Municipality |
Number |
| Greater
Groblersdal |
6 |
| Greater Marble
Hall |
4 |
| Greater Tubatse |
6 |
| Makhuduthamaga |
6 |
| Fetakgomo |
3 |
|
 |
The representation in terms of the 17 party proportional
representation is as follows:
| Political
Party |
Total number |
| ANC |
36 |
| DA |
2 |
| PAC |
1 |
| UDM |
1 |
| AZAPO |
2 |
|
 |
 The municipal structures as depicted in here pose a number of
challenges for the institution. Among these
challenges are the following:
- Exercising municipal executive and legislative authority with
the Local Municipalities
- Grappling with the political-administrative interface issues
- Providing strategic leadership for the entire District as a
whole by amongst others:
- Ensuring integrated planning and for the entire district
area;
- Service Delivery and Redistribution of resources
- Maximising social and economic development
- Empowering of communities
- Understanding the implications of the authorisations and
adjustments of powers and functions
POWERS AND FUNCTIONS
Authorisations
- Water
- Sanitation
- Environmental Health
- Electricity (status quo remains)
Adjustments
- Markets (yes)
- Municipal abattoirs (yes)
- Municipal roads (yes, only for NP03A3)
- Refuse removal, refuse dumps and solid waste disposal (yes,
only for NP03A3)
- Fire fighting (yes, including all local municipalities)
- Municipal airport (yes, except for CBLC3,CBLC4)
- Municipal public transport (yes)
- Storm water
- Cemeteries, funeral parlours and crematoria (yes, except
CBLC3, CBLC4)
- Storm water (yes, for CBLC5, NP03A3)
These objectives ought to be translated into comprehensible
organisational strategic objectives which
are supported by plans are programmes. Such plans has provide clear
guidelines on implementation by setting
explicit activities to be undertaken, resources to be apportioned,
performance indicators and targets and time
frames.
MUNICIPAL CHALLENGES
Among the critical areas that the municipality ought to focus on
in an endeavor to meet its challenges are:
- Infrastructure and Services
- Plans and programmes to address backlogs in water, sanitation,
energy.
- Plans and programmes to address issues pertaining to roads and
transport, solid waste management
Social and Economic Development
- Initiatives to address local economic development
- Programmes and plans to address issues pertaining to health,
skills development, sports development
Spatial Planning
- Plans and programmes for sustainable and optimal land use
management
Institutional transformation and viability
- Plans and programmes for organisational development,
accountable and performance driven institution
Financial management and viability
- Sustainable financial base and optimal and directed use of
resources
Promotion of good governance
- Mechanisms and structures to effect co-operative governance
- Structured and focused public participation
- Attention to special groups (youth, women and disabled)
CONCLUSION
In conclusion it is expected that the strategic planning session
will deliberate on what concrete interventions are
to made with regard to challenges faced by the municipality.
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